Electrical convenience outlet



April 14, 1942. 5 2,279,516

ELECTRICAL CONVENIENCE OUTLET Filed April 20, 1940 INVENTOR Joseph F. OBrien 2 BY j 4% 24 l A TORNEY Patented Apr. 14, 1942 ELECTRICALCONVENIENCE OUTLET Joseph F. O'Brien, Jersey City, N. J., assignor toJohn B. Pierce Foundation, New York, N. Y., a

corporation of New York Application April 20, 1940, Serial No. 330,647

Claims. (Cl. 173-3341) The present invention relates to improvements inelectrical convenience outlets.

It is an object of the invention to provide an electrical convenienceoutlet having removable cap means; whereby the cap normally affordingaccess to the contacts within the convenience outlet may be replaced bya blank cap, devoid of apertures and thereby preventing access to thecontacts within the outlet. 1

It is a further object of the present invention to provide improvedmeans for shielding the contacts of the convenience outlet from theingress of water. dirt, or the like.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide an electricalconvenience outlet adaptable to serve as a connect-or unit ina run ofseriatim interconnected conduit units of an electrical conduit systempositioned for example, at the junction of the floor and baseboard of aroom, the juncture of a counter-top and wall, etc.

In the present invention, the body of the outlet is provided withremovable cap means, said cap means having the customary openingstherethrough to provide for the passage of the prongsof a conventionalelectrical attachment plug.

Suitably positioned within the body of the convenience outlet areinserts of rubber or equivalent yieldable elastic material, said insertsbeing slitted in registry with the apertures within the body of theunit, to permit the forcible insertion of the biades of an attachmentplug through said slits. It will be understood that said slittedopenings are normally closed, separating only upon the insertion of suchattachment plug blades and bearing against such blades to snub the sameagainst accidental removal.

The body of the convenience outlet is adapted to receive blank cap meansdevoid of plug-receiving apertures, said blank cap means cooperatingwith said resilient insert means to seal the electric conductors withinthe outlet against the ingress of dirt; or fluids.

Advantageously, the electrical conductors of the convenience outletinclude laterally extending bus bars, preferably of the nature oftubular conductors disposed within longitudinally extending passagesadjacent the base of the outlet body, and suitably arranged for seriatimconnection with conductor means in adjacent wiring units. Suitable plugblade contact means are provided, said contact means being firmlysecured tosaid tubular conductors in electrically conductive relation.

Pursuant to preferred forms of the present invention, the contact meansare individually housed within an insulating chamber, and are arrangedto cooperate with the walls of such chamber to secure its therewithassociated conductor against rotation or longitudinal displacement. v

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of an electric convenience outlet;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken through lines 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section similar to Fig. 3, but showing an electricalattachment plug in operative position;

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation taken on the lines 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the convenience outlet, with thecap thereof removed;

Fig. 7 is a plan view .of the resilient insert means;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a blank cap for use with the convenienceoutlet; and

Fig. 9 is an elevation of said blank cap.

Referring to the drawing, convenience outlet l0 desirably has acomposite body, including base II and body element I2. Such bodyelements cooperate to provide angularly related walls, rendering theconvenience outlet adaptable for installation as part of a combinedmolding and wiring system at the intersection of the floor of a room andbaseboard thereof.

Desirably, body elements H, l2 are wholly of electrical insulationmaterial, such as a suitable moldable plastic. Screws M or equivalentmay secure the respective body elements. To accommodate thelongitudinally extending conductors l5, l5, the respective body portionsmay be formed with complementary grooves within which said conductorssnugly fit.

Said conductors l5 may be tubular, and swaged at each end to form atapering pin, l5a, adaptable to fit frictionally within the tubularconductor of an adjacent conductor unit (not shown) to afford electricaland mechanical interconnection of such units. By swaging the ends oftubular conductors l5, the quantity of electrically conductive materialin such conductors is equal throughout their length, as the taperingdown of the ends l5a is accomplished without sacrifice of wallthickness.

A vertical wall l6 of base H cooperates with body side walls anddownwardly extending ribs 11 thereof to define compartments within whichelectric contact means l8 are individually and insulatedly housed.

Such contact means l8 are formed with downwardly curving wings I80,which normally bear against the side walls of their respectivecompartments, see Figs. 3 and 4, to assist in maintaining said contactmeans in upright position. Preferably; contact means ii are of suitablewidth to place the edges thereof in engagement with side walls of therespective housings (see Fig. 5) to preclude lateral movement of theconductor means and their thereto secured conductors l5. Such operativeassociation of the contact means l8 and the wings I80, thereof, with thewalls of the respective compartments adequately anchors conductors l5against the axial strains imposed thereon during the stage of insertionof the end portions I50 into the tubular conductors of an adjacent unit.

As shown in'Figur-e 6, the upper face of body I2 is planar, and in suchface are formed suitable recesses 20 (one such recess being shown inFigure 6). The base of each such recess 20 is provided with apertures22, 22, in registry with the contact elements l8.

For. operative association with said recesses 20, the present inventionprovides inserts 24 of resilient insulatingmaterial such as gum" rubber,such rubber insert being slitted, see 26, 26, Figure 7, in registry withcontacts l8. By making said inserts 24 slightly oversize with respect tothe recesses 20, the material of such inserts is compressed and thewalls of slots 25 are crowded into relatively tight engagement. As willbe seen in Figure 5, the thickness of the inserts 24 is less than thedepth of recesses 20.

For use with said convenience outlet, I provide removable cap means 30,having projecting portions or bosses 32 matching the contour of recesses20 for snug fit therein. Bosses 32 maintain the cap means in properposition; the illustrated machine screw 34 may be employed to removablysecure said cap means 30. Desirably, the bosses 32 of the said cap areof such depth with respect to the stated recess space above the insertsto exert a compressive force upon the inserts 24 further to compact thematerial thereof.

It is to be noted from Figures 2 and 3 that the normally self-closingcharacteristic of the slots 26 of insert 24, combined with the statedcompression of the material thereof, makes such insert effective as aclosure means to prevent the ingress of dirt or the like into thecompartment housing the contacts l8. As is indicated in Figure 4, thepassage of the blades l9 of an attachment plug through the respectiveapertures into engagement with the contacts I8 is effected only upondistorting the insert 24. The apertures 22 at the base of recess 20 aresuitably oversize, to accommodate the downward displacement of the bodyof insert 24 adjacent the slitted apertures thereof. During the passageof the blades of the attachment plug through the slits of insert 24, thewalls of such slits bear resiliently against the sides of the blades ofthe attachment plug, wiping the same free of dirt or the like, andadditionally, snubbing said blades against accidental withdrawal.

For installations where it may be desirable to seal ofl the contacts l8,the present invention provides for the substitution for the cap 30 of ablank cap 36, devoid of attachment plug openings. Said blank cap, seeFigs. 8 and 9, is provided with bosses 38 at the underside, forcooperation with the recesses 20 of said convenience outlet body.

As has been stated with respect to the bosses 32 of cap means 30, thebosses 38 of blank cap 36 are of such depth as to'forcibly compress theresilient inserts '24 into a compact mass when said blank cap is inposition on the body l2. The stated inserts 24 being under a normaltransverse compression by reason of the size relationship between theinsert and the recess 20 into which such insert fits, the additionalpressure afiorded by the bosses 38 of the blank cap 36 effectively sealsthe slitted apertures 26 of the inserts and additionally urges theinserts 24 into a substantially water-tight and dirt-tight engagementwith the side walls of the recess 20.

The protection afforded by the blank cap 36 is of particular valueduring the stage of installation of the system in a new building, wherewet plaster, paint, and the dirt attending the constructing of a newbuilding might otherwise enter the body of the convenience outlet. Theblank cap completely seals such outlet body, as aforesaid, and uponremoval of the cap, the surface of the outlet body is free from dirt orthe like, and in condition for receiving the conventional cap 30.

Whereas I have described my invention by reference to specific formsthereof, it will be understood that many changes and modifications maybe made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In an electrical convenience outlet having a body, contact meansdisposed within said body and apertures affording access to such contactmeans, the combination with insulator means of resilient material fixedwithin a recess formed in an upper surface of the body and havingnormally closed openings disposed in operative relationship to saidaccess apertures, of cap means removably associated with said body andprovided with a raised surface on its under side arranged to bearagainst said resilient insulator means to compact the same within therecess.

2. In an electrical convenience outlet having a recessed body, contactmeans disposed within said body and apertures affording access to suchcontact means disposed in a base wall of said body recess, thecombination with fixed resilient insert means disposed within said bodyrecess, said insert means having normally closed openings in registrywith the openings of said body, of a cap for said body, said cap havingopenings in registry with the openings of said insert means and meansarranged to fit within said body recess and to bear against theresilient insert means therein over substantially the entire surface ofsaid insert means.

3. An electric convenience outlet comprising, in combination, a bodyformed with recesses at an outer surface, contact means disposed withinsaid body, apertures formed in said body within the compass of saidrecesses to afiord access to said contact means, an insert of resilientinsulation material disposed within each of said b'xly recesses, saidinserts having normally closed openings in registry with said accessapertures and having a surface area, when relaxed, greater than thesurface area of said recesses, and cap means for said body, havingplug-blade receiving apertures in registry with the openings of saidinserts and projecting portions for insertion within said recesses andengaging the side walls thereof, said projecting portions bearingagainst the surface of said resilient inserts to hold the same inoperative position.

4. An electric convenience outlet comprising,

in combination, a body, contact means disposed therein. a recess formedin an outer surface of said body above said contact means, said bodyhaving apertures through the wall thereof and within the compass of saidrecess to afford access to said contact means, an insert of resilientinsulation material disposed within said recess, the thickness of saidinsert being less than the depth of said body recess, and formed withslits in registry with the said access apertures, and cap means for saidbody, said cap means having openings in registry with said slits and aboss formed on its under side for projection into said recess andengagement with the side walls thereof, the under surface of said bossbearing against the surface of said resilient insert to hold 5. Anelectric convenience outlet comprising.

. the same in operative position within said recess. 20

in combination, a body, contact means disposed therein, a non-circularrecess formed in an outer surface of said body above said contact means,said body having apertures through the wall thereof andwithin thecompass of said recess to-afiord access to said contact means, an

insert of resilient insulation material disposed within said recess, thethickness of said insert being less than the depth of said body recess,and formed with slits in registry with the said access apertures, andcap means for said body, said cap means having a boss having openings inregistry with said slits and a contour matching the contour of saidrecess formed on its under side for projection into said recess andengagement with the side walls thereof, the under surface of said bossbearing against the surface of said resilient insert to hold the same inoperative position within said recess.

JOSEPH F. OBRIEN.

